Apple Cinema Tools 4 - Manual (Page 243)

About the Timecode-Based Method
There are some situations in which the timecode-based method is useful or even essential:
• If you have not logged clips in the Cinema Tools database by connecting them to database
records: Only the timecode-based method can locate the database records. If the
database contains the data that is needed to match the edge code and the timecode,
and if the source clips were captured by Final Cut Pro using frame-accurate device
control, Final Cut Pro should know the video reel and timecode information for each
clip, and a film list can be produced from this information. (In such a case, you do not
have to connect the source clips to the database records, saving you a fair amount of
labor.)
• If you are generating a film list from an external EDL: The timecode-based method is used
(assuming you have not connected the source clips to the database).
• If the clip files are inaccessible (offline) when the film list is generated: Only the
timecode-based method can locate the database records.
243 Appendix B How Cinema Tools Creates Film Lists